Turkey Has Made Important Progress In Nuclear Power Programme, Says IAEA

An IAEA team that conducted an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission in Turkey from 4 to 14 November, said Turkey’s nuclear programme “enjoys strong government support” and “effective coordination among government organisations”.

“The government of Turkey has established effective coordination mechanisms and has involved a large number of institutions that have a role in the establishment of the infrastructure needed to support the nuclear power programme,” Jong Kyun Park, director of the IAEA division of nuclear power and team leader of the INIR mission said.

The recommendations included completing a national policy on nuclear energy, strengthening the nuclear regulatory body and developing a national plan for human resource development.

In total, 25 organisations are involved in the development of Turkey’s national nuclear infrastructure.

“Turkey is implementing the build-own-operate (BOO) approach. It is the first time in history of nuclear power that this approach has been used,” Mr Park said.

The BOO approach means a company is granted the right to develop, finance, design, build, own, operate, and maintain a nuclear power plant, as well as to retain a part of the operating revenue and have a share in the risk.

"This method is very interesting because it solves two of the biggest challenges that newcomers face: financing and experienced operators," Mr Park said.

Turkey is aiming to produce at least 10 percent of its electricity from nuclear power by 2023.

Turkey has two nuclear plants in development – the Akkuyu nuclear plant in cooperation with Russia’s Rosatom, and the Sinop nuclear plant together with an Areva-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries joint venture. The government has also expressed interest in launching a third nuclear plant project.